As more and more French drivers go electric, public charging stations are proliferating – the country currently has around 9,400 – but so are charging networks, each requiring its own subscription and payment method.

Now the French government plans to make things easier for consumers by requiring network operators to unify some of their features before the end of this year, as reported by Les Echos.

Several of the largest network operators – including Bolloré, Renault, and units of several electric utilities – have created the Afirev association to improve network interoperability. They will use a new platform called Gireve to exchange data and payments between networks, modeled on existing systems that allow bank cards to be used at other banks’ ATMs.

The aim is to enable drivers to charge their EVs at any station in the country without having to belong to multiple networks.

Source: Les Echos via Automotive News
Image: werner hillebrand-hansen (CC BY-SA 2.0)